First of all, a few biographical facts
about the composer, because the insert notes do not tell us
anything about him. Born in 1968, he studied with Geert van
Keulen and Theo Loevendie at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He
was later invited to work as George Benjamin’s only composition
student at the Royal College of Music where he also studied
with Julian Anderson. Pierre Boulez’s appreciation of De Raaf’s
early string quartet Athomus (1993) also helped
put the composer’s name onto the map of contemporary music.
The composer admits his love for Alban Berg’s music, and also
refers to Bartók and Stravinsky, which may give some indications
as to his stylistic inclinations, although it must be stressed
straightaway that his music is free from any all-too-obvious
imitation. De Raaf’s musical background nevertheless left
its mark on the music, which certainly owes much to George
Benjamin’s example. That said, the connection with Benjamin
must not be overemphasised, because De Raaf obviously knows
what he wants to do and how to achieve his aims in the best
possible way. The insert notes go into some detail about De
Raaf’s working methods, if such there really are; but the
music, as heard here, is much more eloquent than any well-meaning
exegesis. As already mentioned, and considering the composer’s
musical training, De Raaf’s music clearly belongs to its time
and place, and sounds decidedly contemporary. It is nevertheless
very accessible and strongly communicative, as the applause
at the end of each of these performances testifies. He obviously
loves the orchestra, and has a fine ear for arresting sonorities,
as the highly effective scoring of Unisono and
of the Concerto forOrchestra
amply shows.

The three works recorded here were all
written at about the same time. The seemingly long gestation
of the Concerto for Orchestra, begun in 1999
and completed in 2002, is due to the commissioning of the
Piano Concerto, composed between 2001 and 2002. The Piano
Concerto is scored for chamber orchestra and is laid-out in
two movements, although the insert notes mention “five sections
modelled on Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, in which each section
starts with the same musical gesture, and yet develops every
time in a different way”. I must say that this does not sound
obvious at all when listening to the piece, which – to my
mind – is not really important. The most striking characteristics
of the piece are the almost effortless way in which the music
unfolds and the remarkably telling use of smaller orchestral
forces.

The Concerto for Orchestra
is a substantial work in three movements roughly laid-out
in the fairly traditional fast-slow-fast pattern, each movement
falling into three subsections. As might be expected, it is
a brilliant showcase for orchestra in which the composer gives
free rein to his orchestral mastery, although everything is
strictly held under control leaving nothing to improvisation.
The first movement opens with an oblique allusion to the opening
of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, but the
music soon unfolds independently of Stravinsky’s work, and
displays considerable energy and much imaginative orchestral
writing. There are some calmer sections offsetting the energy
of much of the music in this movement. The first movement’s
peroration leads straight into the second, slow movement and
an atmospheric nocturne. It, too, leads straight into the
final movement. The music seems at first to prolong the material
heard at the end of the second movement, but it soon becomes
more nervous and impetuous; the whole work is capped by a
rather subdued coda. This is an impressive achievement, and
the music is given an excellent performance conducted by De
Raaf’s mentor George Benjamin.

Unisono undoubtedly shares
many common features with the Concerto for Orchestra,
not least its orchestral virtuosity. The piece is roughly
structured as an arch-form opening with a single tone. The
music then becomes considerably more complex before ending
in much the same way as it began.

I had never heard De Raaf’s music before
receiving this disc, but I now look forward to hearing more
of it soon. This is music that speaks for itself, notwithstanding
its formal and organisational complexity. This release is
a fine introduction to this still young composer’s sound-world.
I only wish that the playing time were more generous.

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